Broncos v. Bengals Report Card

Scout.com

10/27/2004

Mike Shanahan took the blame for the Denver Broncos looking as sluggish as they were Monday night. With a 5-1 start the Broncos should have been having visions of battling for a first-round bye, but losing to a previously 1-4 Bengals team doesn't help that cause. The Broncos played poorly on both sides of the ball on Monday night.

REPORT CARD VS. BENGALS

PASSING OFFENSE
D -- The Broncos had to pass more than they wanted because the run game wasn't that effective and they found themselves behind. Jake Plummer forced a lot of passes and had perhaps his worst game of the season, with two interceptions.

RUSHING OFFENSE
C -- Reuben Droughns' final numbers weren't bad -- 24 carries for 110 yards -- but the Broncos never really got rolling in the running game. Against the 32nd-ranked run defense in the NFL before this past weekend's games, Denver should've controlled the game on the ground.

PASS DEFENSE
D-plus -- Champ Bailey was outplayed by Chad Johnson in Bailey's first true test as a Bronco. Johnson had seven catches for 149 yards and had a pair of 50-yard receptions. Bailey had an interception, but that was overshadowed by Johnson's big plays.

RUSH DEFENSE
C-minus -- Rudi Johnson didn't have a great game against Denver's defense, but he put the game away with a 36-yard run. That inflated Johnson's final total to 119 rushing yards. Overall, the Broncos had their worst defensive game since the season opener.

SPECIAL TEAMS
D-plus -- The Broncos got next to nothing out of their return game, and probably lost kickoff returner Quentin Griffin for the season with a knee injury.

COACHING
F -- Mike Shanahan took the blame for the Broncos looking as sluggish as they were Monday night. With a 5-1 start the Broncos should have been having visions of battling for a first-round bye, but losing to a previously 1-4 Bengals team doesn't help that cause. The Broncos played poorly on both sides of the ball on Monday night.

NOTES AND QUOTES

--The Bengals challenged Denver cornerback Champ Bailey from the opening play of Monday night's game, when Carson Palmer hit Chad Johnson for a 9-yard gain on a slant pattern against Bailey. Bailey was beat for a pair of 50-yard receptions by Johnson, who had seven catches for 149 yards.

"I'll keep on ticking," Bailey said. "Somebody's going to have problems next week."

--Right tackle George Foster said he didn't think there was anything illegal about a cut block that injured Cincinnati defensive lineman Tony Williams.

Williams was moving from his right to his left when Foster hit him low. Williams had a dislocation and fracture of his left ankle, which will knock him out for the rest of the season.

"My condolences to him but that's football," Foster said. "I was glad to get out of there safe. I thought they were going to come after me."

--Broncos coach Mike Shanahan took the blame for his team's listless performance in a 23-10 loss at Cincinnati on Monday night.

"I got to do a better job preparing these guys," Shanahan said. "You lose some of the focus, you lose some of the concentration level and you make the mistakes we had."

\r\n\r\n\r\n","mobileBody":" -- The Broncos had to pass more than they wanted because the run game wasn't that effective and they found themselves behind. Jake Plummer forced a lot of passes and had perhaps his worst game of the season, with two interceptions.

-- Reuben Droughns' final numbers weren't bad -- 24 carries for 110 yards -- but the Broncos never really got rolling in the running game. Against the 32nd-ranked run defense in the NFL before this past weekend's games, Denver should've controlled the game on the ground.

-- Champ Bailey was outplayed by Chad Johnson in Bailey's first true test as a Bronco. Johnson had seven catches for 149 yards and had a pair of 50-yard receptions. Bailey had an interception, but that was overshadowed by Johnson's big plays.

-- Rudi Johnson didn't have a great game against Denver's defense, but he put the game away with a 36-yard run. That inflated Johnson's final total to 119 rushing yards. Overall, the Broncos had their worst defensive game since the season opener.

-- The Broncos got next to nothing out of their return game, and probably lost kickoff returner Quentin Griffin for the season with a knee injury.

F -- Mike Shanahan took the blame for the Broncos looking as sluggish as they were Monday night. With a 5-1 start the Broncos should have been having visions of battling for a first-round bye, but losing to a previously 1-4 Bengals team doesn't help that cause. The Broncos played poorly on both sides of the ball on Monday night.

--The Bengals challenged Denver cornerback Champ Bailey from the opening play of Monday night's game, when Carson Palmer hit Chad Johnson for a 9-yard gain on a slant pattern against Bailey. Bailey was beat for a pair of 50-yard receptions by Johnson, who had seven catches for 149 yards.

\"I'll keep on ticking,\" Bailey said. \"Somebody's going to have problems next week.\"

--Right tackle George Foster said he didn't think there was anything illegal about a cut block that injured Cincinnati defensive lineman Tony Williams.

Williams was moving from his right to his left when Foster hit him low. Williams had a dislocation and fracture of his left ankle, which will knock him out for the rest of the season.

\"My condolences to him but that's football,\" Foster said. \"I was glad to get out of there safe. I thought they were going to come after me.\"

--Broncos coach Mike Shanahan took the blame for his team's listless performance in a 23-10 loss at Cincinnati on Monday night.

\"I got to do a better job preparing these guys,\" Shanahan said. \"You lose some of the focus, you lose some of the concentration level and you make the mistakes we had.\"